Fracture Lines (The Glass Complex Book 2) by John Hindmarsh Page B
Authors: John Hindmarsh
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company’s abilities, after which we can better plan its future utilization.”
“Yes, sir, I agree.”
“Very well, that’s how we’ll do it. Commander Gillespie estimates we’ll be on station, ready to deal with the freighter, in fifteen days, so you have time for more training. Good luck.”
*****
Chapter 13
The next week passed rapidly, with training exercises taking every spare minute of each day. Steg participated in all the sessions, pushing his sergeants who, in turn, drove the men in the small mercenary company. They all tried to outdo their captain, which gave Steg an extra edge of motivation. He arranged for some of Wasp’ s crew to build a mock-up of the freighter’s bridge in one of the empty bays using plans provided by Monty. He split his men into two groups, one attacking and one defending the mock-up. He switched their roles, again and again, until everyone was exhausted. At the end of the week, he was far more confident about the capabilities of his small force. Of course, there were no guarantees—the bridge on the freighter might be completely different or his company could be ordered to attack or defend the freighter’s engineering control room or be held in reserve and not see any action.
“What do you think, Kirby?” Steg wiped perspiration from his face.
“Very good, sir. The men are familiar with their exo-armor, and they’re learning to work together. When they’re under fire from a real enemy, they’ll either fall to pieces or perform as a unit. There’s only one way to find out.”
“You are a sad man, Sergeant, a sad man.”
“Yes, sir. I’m not paid to be happy.”
“Let’s see what happens with this venture. If we see action, and we’re successful, you’ll get a bonus.”
“Yes, sir.” The sergeant maintained his morose expression.
Steg understood Kirby wanted to join in the pending action, and the men in his small company reflected a similar attitude. It would be a bad news, good news situation if they were required to board the freighter. It would mean Major Fowler’s force had encountered serious opposition and possibly higher casualties than expected; however, it also would give his men an opportunity to demonstrate their readiness.
“The men have done well, Sergeant. Give them the rest of the day off,” suggested Steg. “They need a break. So do I, now I come to think of it.”
“Yes, sir.” The sergeant moved off to dismiss his men.
The company did not yet have a name, which Steg thought he would remedy before they saw action. He planned to arrange a company patch for the men to wear, to reinforce their identity and build morale.
Steg decided to venture to Wasp ’s bridge to obtain an update of the starship’s status. He was anxious to discover when they would be close to the Xesset. The colonel had scheduled a readiness meeting for the following afternoon, and Steg wanted to be prepared.
Commander Gillespie was on shift. She and her bridge crew were relaxed, confident in their abilities and plans. According to their projections, Wasp was on course to make contact with the freighter and its escort in seventy-two hours.
“We’re ready,” confirmed the commander. “At least as ready as we can be. Monty’s been thorough, as always. I understand your data was helpful. Our primary strategy is straightforward: full stealth and when we’re in range, we attack. Of course, assuming the Xesset won’t be able to detect us.” She frowned.
“If they do?”
“We rely on Weapons. She’s been driving her team—she’s relentless—and for the last week her team’s been in war games heaven and so has she. The Xesset will have to be good. We’ll have surprise, stealth, training, plus a motivated crew.”
“The Xesset are good, I know. Monty’s tracking the freighter?”
“Yes, he’s using way station traffic messages to monitor its progress. Astro has confirmed our ETA against the freighter’s projected course, given our current
“Yes, sir, I agree.”
“Very well, that’s how we’ll do it. Commander Gillespie estimates we’ll be on station, ready to deal with the freighter, in fifteen days, so you have time for more training. Good luck.”
*****
Chapter 13
The next week passed rapidly, with training exercises taking every spare minute of each day. Steg participated in all the sessions, pushing his sergeants who, in turn, drove the men in the small mercenary company. They all tried to outdo their captain, which gave Steg an extra edge of motivation. He arranged for some of Wasp’ s crew to build a mock-up of the freighter’s bridge in one of the empty bays using plans provided by Monty. He split his men into two groups, one attacking and one defending the mock-up. He switched their roles, again and again, until everyone was exhausted. At the end of the week, he was far more confident about the capabilities of his small force. Of course, there were no guarantees—the bridge on the freighter might be completely different or his company could be ordered to attack or defend the freighter’s engineering control room or be held in reserve and not see any action.
“What do you think, Kirby?” Steg wiped perspiration from his face.
“Very good, sir. The men are familiar with their exo-armor, and they’re learning to work together. When they’re under fire from a real enemy, they’ll either fall to pieces or perform as a unit. There’s only one way to find out.”
“You are a sad man, Sergeant, a sad man.”
“Yes, sir. I’m not paid to be happy.”
“Let’s see what happens with this venture. If we see action, and we’re successful, you’ll get a bonus.”
“Yes, sir.” The sergeant maintained his morose expression.
Steg understood Kirby wanted to join in the pending action, and the men in his small company reflected a similar attitude. It would be a bad news, good news situation if they were required to board the freighter. It would mean Major Fowler’s force had encountered serious opposition and possibly higher casualties than expected; however, it also would give his men an opportunity to demonstrate their readiness.
“The men have done well, Sergeant. Give them the rest of the day off,” suggested Steg. “They need a break. So do I, now I come to think of it.”
“Yes, sir.” The sergeant moved off to dismiss his men.
The company did not yet have a name, which Steg thought he would remedy before they saw action. He planned to arrange a company patch for the men to wear, to reinforce their identity and build morale.
Steg decided to venture to Wasp ’s bridge to obtain an update of the starship’s status. He was anxious to discover when they would be close to the Xesset. The colonel had scheduled a readiness meeting for the following afternoon, and Steg wanted to be prepared.
Commander Gillespie was on shift. She and her bridge crew were relaxed, confident in their abilities and plans. According to their projections, Wasp was on course to make contact with the freighter and its escort in seventy-two hours.
“We’re ready,” confirmed the commander. “At least as ready as we can be. Monty’s been thorough, as always. I understand your data was helpful. Our primary strategy is straightforward: full stealth and when we’re in range, we attack. Of course, assuming the Xesset won’t be able to detect us.” She frowned.
“If they do?”
“We rely on Weapons. She’s been driving her team—she’s relentless—and for the last week her team’s been in war games heaven and so has she. The Xesset will have to be good. We’ll have surprise, stealth, training, plus a motivated crew.”
“The Xesset are good, I know. Monty’s tracking the freighter?”
“Yes, he’s using way station traffic messages to monitor its progress. Astro has confirmed our ETA against the freighter’s projected course, given our current
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